Dusty May, Michigan reach agreement on new contract, Warde Manuel says

James Hawkins, The Detroit News on Apr 11, 2026

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan coach Dusty May led the Wolverines to the national title and the winningest season in program history.

His reward? A new five-year deal for the second time in as many years.

During Michigan’s national title celebration event at Crisler Center on Saturday, athletic director Warde Manuel announced that he and May have “already reached an agreement” on a contract extension.

“He will be the leader of this basketball team for many years to come,” Manuel said.

That news drew the loudest applause of the event from the fans and sent the players jumping up to celebrate with May.

“It was just a matter of timing,” Manuel said afterward. “For me, it’s really special. The reaction from the fans and the reaction from the team is also very special.”

May, 49, has spearheaded an impressive two-year turnaround since arriving in Ann Arbor in March 2024. He guided the Wolverines to two Big Ten titles and back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances after taking over a team that lost a program-record 24 games before he was hired.

Michigan won the Big Ten Tournament title and reached the Sweet 16 in Year 1. What followed was even more success in Year 2: an outright Big Ten regular-season title, a program-record 37 wins (tied for the most victories by a Big Ten team in a season), Michigan’s fourth ever No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and the Wolverines’ first national championship in 37 years.

"I'm very grateful, and during the (NCAA) Tournament, I just told Warde I'm not leaving,” May said on Big Ten Network, which was broadcasting the celebration event. “And I probably ruined any leverage I could have had. It's an honor to coach at this great institution, and I just look forward to what's next."

Michigan is 64-13 in May’s two years as head coach. His total compensation this season was $5.1 million, with $4.6 million in base salary and $500,000 in performance bonuses for claiming the outright regular-season conference title ($50,000), being voted Big Ten Coach of the Year by league media ($50,000) and winning the NCAA Tournament championship game ($400,000).

May received his first contract extension toward the end of his first season in February 2025. That five-year deal raised his average annual salary from $3.825 million to $5.1 million — not including any potential bonuses and incentives — ran through April 2030 and was set to pay him $4.85 million for the 2026-27 season.

According to Manuel, the numbers on May’s new deal — which will run through the 2030-31 season — are still being finalized. While May’s focus is recruiting and putting together a roster for next season, Manuel said he’s “not concerned” the extension won’t be finished in a timely manner.

“I’m very relieved, but we knew it was done a few days before the final game,” Manuel said. “You want to have a coach that other people want, and I'm happy to keep him. Dusty and I have a great relationship and trust in one another. For me, it feels awesome to know that he's going to continue to lead this program and continue to be the head coach here at Michigan.”

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